Yearlong Workout

Build confidence and get in top shape—use this full body workout for lasting results.

Most guys in the gym—even the regulars—look about the same year after year. Maybe you do too, and that sucks. You don't go through life trying to stay where you are, so why are you still lifting the same weights as last year? Probably because you don't have a plan for progress. We do.

The MF Yearlong Workout is a 12-month plan of sequential workouts that culminates with your achieving your biggest, strongest, leanest, most athletic body ever. With each issue of Men's Fitness in 2010, we will add a new workout. One year from now, you'll be a whole new man. And those other guys? Don't worry, they won't have changed a bit.

How It Works

Our Yearlong Workout program is designed to help you see what goes on inside trainers' heads. You'll learn how they manipulate workouts to ensure steady gains, and you'll find how to do the same for yourself. That means that rather than giving you a completely different routine every month, you'll be making very subtle changes to the basic template, so you can stick with the very best exercises and rep ranges. This way, you won't lose progress on any lift while you still get enough variety to grow and it's kept interesting.

Directions

FREQUENCY
Perform each workout (1, 2, 3, etc*) once per week, resting at least a day between each session. Once you've completed the first week, apply the variations (see links below) to change them up.

*Special Note:
You'll notice that Phase V-A, Phase IX, and Phase X-A each have four workouts instead of the usual three. How does this affect the schedule? Well, Workout IV is optional. You can do it every week, for an extra fat-burning and conditioning boost, or you can do it here and there as your schedule permits. As always, you need to rest at least a day before and after the fourth workout before beginning the cycle again. Yes, this will lengthen the time it takes you to complete this phase.

For example, you could do Workout I on Monday, II on Wednesday, III on Friday, take the weekend off, and pick up with Workout IV the next Monday. In this case, if you choose to do Workout IV every week, you will finish Phase V Part A in six weeks instead of four. That's fine. Go on to the Phase V Part B workouts afterward. If you skip Workout IV occasionally, you can finish the program in four or five weeks.

TIME NEEDED
45 - 60 min.

DO IT
Perform exercises marked with a letter (A, B, and, sometimes, C) in succession, completing one set for each and resting as little as possible in between (unless otherwise directed) before repeating the sequence. Perform the remaining exercises as straight sets, completing all the prescribed sets for one move before moving on to the next. The workouts will change slightly on a weekly basis.